UT2 2009 March
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Contents Contents News Mussel Power 4 Subsea Report 5 UT2 March 2009 The magazine of the Seismic Society for Underwater Technology Seismic Coil Shooting 6-8 Towed Streamer Technology 8-9 Oceans Projects Seafl oor Laboratory 10, Life on MARS 12 Oceans News Hydroid for Geomar 14, Ice Profi lers 14 Tsunami Detection Remote Vehicles Offshore 15, Google Earth 15, Seabed Visualisation 16, Depth Measurement 16, Pressure Sensor 16, Swedish Tracking 17, Waterside security 18, Contour Generator 18, Seabed Cover: Using mussels as a pollution biosensor Scanning 18, Training Courses 19, Software Enhancement Photo by Vidar Skålevik 20, Deepwater Acoustic release 21, Seabed Classifi cation Cables and Software 22, Glass Ceiling 22, Current Profi ler 22 Umbilicals Usan and Skarv 24, Airgun Umbilicals 24, Jade 24 Digital Digital Controlled Manipulator, Digital Pan and Tilt 26, Revolution March 2009 Vol 4 No 1 ROVs & Off shore ROVs Aircraft Crash 28, Icy Ise Hysub 28, Buoyant Market 30, Going East 30, Rock Trencher 30, ISS ROV Control System 2 31, Tracking Jason 31, Wet Mate Connector 31 UT Subsea Perdido 32, Tupi 33, Yttergryta 28, Frigg 34 Asgard 34 Society for Underwater Projects ABS Rules 35, Cascacde Chinook 35, Roncador 36, Girassol Technology 36, Gudrun 36 Machar 37, Tahiti 37 80 Coleman St, Underwater The Lost Arc 40, Friction Stitch Welding 40, Cold Tee 41, London EC25 5BJ Welding and Deeper Welding 42, Future 43, Chamber of Secrets 43, Pipelines EHPIP 44 +44 (1) 480 370007 Births, Marriages and Separations 47 Editor: John Howes [email protected] SUT London SUT AGM 48, Aberdeen SUT AGM 49, Award of Merit 49, Carbon Capture and Storage 50, SUT YP 50 Sub Editor: Mariam Pourshoushtari [email protected] Advertising: Joe Sinfi eld Published by UT2 Publishing Ltd for and on behalf of the Society for Underwater Technology. Reproduction of UT2 in whole or in part, without permission, is prohibited. The publisher and the SUT assumes no responsibility Production: Sue Denham for unsolicited material, nor responsibility for content of any advertisement, particularly infringement of copyrights, trademarks, intellectual property rights Design and Layout and patents, nor liability for misrepresentations, false or misleading statements Torpedo Design and illustrations. These are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Opinions of the writers are not necessarily those of the SUT or the publishers. ISSN: 1752-0592 UT2 MARCH 2009 3 modem and cable communication system. Data from the mussel biosensors, along M with conventional sensors, is relayed to the Biota Guard Expert Centre for moni- toring and analysis. The sea trials com- menced in a fjord outside Stavanger a year ago to validate the basic biosensor U technology. They were spectacularly successful: when the ferry from Den- mark approached, the mussels reacted by momentarily closing. S This was followed up by an offshore test on Ekofi sk to check the radio satellite transmission system and the integration of the various components. S Data signals are sent onshore for analysis by use of algorithms and graphical representations. Measure- ment data is transferred to the Biota Guard Integrated Operation Center E (BGIC) for analysis. Over the past 40 or so years, in varying degrees when exposed to technologists have developed harmful substances (or if it endures The user of the system can monitor the increasingly sophisticated sys- physical stress due to predators environmental status throughout the tems to monitor water pollution. etc). The heart rhythm also changes day. Client may be provided by sepa- Over the past 400 million years, depending on rate data link (for online reporting and L trouble shooting). It is also possible to however, animals have evolved infl uences from the environment considerably far more acute in which the clam lives. Sensors go back in time should it be necessary sensory organs. Stavanger- are therefore attached to shell. to document the effects of known toxic based Biota Guard has looked This enables the measurement of discharges. to use the reaction of molluscs the closing mechanism and heart to certain chemicals, to develop rhythm of a mussel. The next stage of work will be carried one of the most sensitive pollu- out at Mongstad. These systems will be tion detection methods. The plan envisages a number of installed in the Fensfjorden for a period small colonies of mussels strategi- of four months. It will also used to After years of long-term testing, cally placed around an oil rig. The develop and implement software tools. P the fi rst commercial delivery of mussels are continually monitored It will look at the discharge of process such a system will be available to provide a picture of the state of and cooling water. later this year. While it is imme- life in the sea. diately applicable to the oil and Another project is to develop, test and gas markets, it is equally useful Any polyaromatic hydrocarbons demonstrate an environmental effect O to the maritime industry and for (PAH) in the production water, which monitoring system that makes it suit- the monitoring of coastal areas. are known to be damaging to life in able for the Arctic region. This will look the sea, would be detected by the at environmental monitoring of surface The biosensor in question is the system in real time. Uninstrumented and subsea installations in Arctic blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). (passive) mussels are also collected environments at water depths down W The mussel was selected be- as necessary, and taken to a labora- to 500m with reference to the Barents cause research into this particu- tory for more detailed analysis of the Sea. lar mollusc is well advanced. health condition. Above: The sensor cage unit Left: The This bivalve fi lters 60 litres of Mussel with a sensor attached water a day, making it particu- The cages of mussels are either Below: Mussels in the cage E larly good for measuring water lowered over the side along the legs All photos Vidar Skålevik pollution levels. to measure any produced water, or on the seabed. They can also be The mussel, held in place under a buoy, which however, can radio the information to shore R closes up via a satellite system. The mussels lie in a central sensor cage unit (SCU) . Below this cage is a control system and battery cannister. Above, are an array of physical and chemical sensors. At the top of the assembly is the acoustic 4 UT2 MARCH 2009 Subsea Report Over the period from 2009 to 2013, Over the past fi ve years, we have wit- caused operators to prioritise the most the total global subsea sector expend- nessed the rapid expansion of subsea profi table projects. iture for subsea equipment and drilling trees installed, and the majority of this and completion will exceed US$80bn. activity is linked to the growth of the Now with limited access to fi nancing This fi gure is up from US$46bn on the deepwater oil and gas industry. and a lower price outlook, there are previous fi ve years. questions regarding the viability of The global industry continues to face a future projects. It is smaller single well As many as 3222 trees are expected combination of declining shallow water tie-backs that can have sanction rates to be started up within the next fi ve production, falling reserves in place and up to $65/bbl, whereas larger fl oating years, the biggest players being poor shallow water prospectivity. projects can be sanctioned at as little Petrobras (374), Shell (244), Total as $23/bbl. We feel that the smaller (237), Chevron (236), BP (229), Exx- Deep water offers a new exploration projects in Europe and in South East onMobil (215) and StatoilHydro (194). and production frontier and has seen Asia are most at risk and could see projects which have been developed potential delays and cancellations. So says the Subsea Market Update through stable oil prices. Here, stable Report 2009/13 from Infi eld Energy refers to prices remain- Analysts. ing consistently above Subsea spending forecast US$30/bbl. This edition differs from the previous editions in that the report focuses on The next couple of subsea wells subsea fi eld architec- years are expected to ture. Associated pipelines and control see a plateau of activ- lines are not included. ity levels as constraints within the market are The volume of subsea trees installed realised. This has been is viewed as a barometer for the expected even before health of the offshore industry. It is a the banking crisis and particularly important indicator for the oil price decline, as subsea umbilical riser and fl owline capacity constraints (SURF) construction and installation within the supply chain markets. and rapid infl ation has UT2 MARCH 2009 5 A literally revolutionary data acquisition system called coil shooting has been developed by WesternGeco. Coil shooting is designed to illuminate specifi c target areas associated with complex structures such as salt diapirs, Seismic reefs and subsalt or salt overhang environments. It is characterised by enabling acquisition of considerably more azimuthal data than even the most advanced seismic acquisition systems. The technique has been tested recently in both the Gulf Coil of Mexico and the Black Sea, at locations over which conventional seismic had been acquired to enable a good comparison. This is the latest of a number of acquisition techniques to image complex structures. The main driver for this has been the discovery of reservoir quality structures underneath carbonates, basalts or salts, or complex structures in general that are notoriously diffi cult to image with traditional techniques. Over the past decade, the offshore industry has pushed exploration boundaries into deep and ultradeep waters.